Vehicle Break-ins Strike Curb Garage

Belmont Vision Multimedia. (Zach Watkins)

Five vehicles were broken into in the Curb Garage during the climax of the storm Monday night, as part of a larger pattern of vehicle break-ins across Nashville. 

“The safety of our campus community is our highest priority, and that includes keeping you informed of significant security concerns when they arise,” said Campus Security in a campus-wide email sent on Thursday. 

Security cameras found that the first suspect is “a male approximately 6 feet tall with dreadlocks, wearing all black and believed to be armed. A second suspect, not visible on camera, is believed to be driving a white Infiniti sedan,” according to the email. 

Of the five vehicles, only one reported stolen property – a firearm, which is illegal to have on college campuses, according to Tennessee state law. The email noted that students found in possession of a firearm could face criminal charges. 

“I’m not going to really speculate on what they were looking for, but a rising pattern in Nashville and nationwide has been that these break-ins, they’re looking for firearms,” said Mark Labbe, chief of Campus Security. 

The Thrailkill Garage also experienced a string of break-ins in August. Labbe said that the similarity between the two break-ins is that both occurred right after officers finished patrolling the garages. 

“We’ve racked up our patrols, but there are a lot of garages,” said Labbe. He added that Campus Security is working closely with Metro Nashville Police Department on the investigation. 

Labbe encourages students to lock their vehicles and to make sure any campus guests leave firearms at home. 

“There’s going to be a large influx of people in the coming weeks for graduation, and we just want to make sure that the guests are aware of the rules and the laws. Security is my job, but it’s all our responsibility,” said Labbe.

Written by Olivia Abernathy with contributing reporting by Quinn Wells